Come Play With Me
by Romana4Ever
Summary: The Tardis is knocked off course to Munich Germany 1889. The Doctor and Luke discover aliens attempting to kidnap a ten year old boy. When the Dr and Luke discover who the boy is they think the mystery is solved. When they discover the real reason they want the boy named Al, they are forced to make a heartbreaking decision.


**COME PLAY WITH ME**

The Doctor is fiddling with the console of the Tardis while Luke is studying all of The Doctors big 500 year Diaries per the twelfth Doctor's instruction.

"Doctor do you really think it's a good idea to try and find your children?" Luke asked. "Wouldn't that interfere with your time line?"

"I'm well aware of the risks Luke." The Doctor said evenly. "But we have to try. Now if you're through with my diaries, I need you to help me set up a temporal scanner. Search for any beings with two hearts."

"I didn't know a Time Lord could be traced by their hearts." Luke said surprised. "So your two children are Time Lords?" Luke asked.

"Possible They couldn't have been more then sixteen. For some reason I can't sense their presence. They must be wearing a bio-dampening device." The Doctor replied. "And as for Clara, well the one I thought was Clara. Now that her memory has been restored and her second heart has resumed beating, she shouldn't be that hard to find."

Luke was about to offer up a suggestion when he heard the Twelfth Doctors telepathically voice inside of his head.

"Luke!" The Twelfth Doctor warned. "I know you enjoy being helpful but be careful. You must tread a fine line between helping me and not providing me with any ideas in finding my children. Or the Time Lord known for now as Clara. So keep the good ideas to yourself. offer up ideas that sound good only in theory."

Luke focused intently on the console as he listened to the Twelfth Doctors orders.

"Maybe we could set the Tardis to seek out bio-dampening devices." Luke suggested not looking the Doctor in the eye.

"Track bio-dampening devices?" The Doctor scoffed. "Luke do you know how many alien races use some form of bio-dampening device? Some use it to hide from their own people. Some use it to hide their alien identity on an alien world they wish to explore." The Doctor shook his head as he spoke. "Good idea in theory Luke but not very practical I'm afraid."

Suddenly The Tardis is once again knocked off course. Luke and the Doctor check the readings on the Tardis console.

"Doctor it says here we are in Munich, Germany 1889." Luke read off the screen.

"Well lets have a look around. Shall we?" The Doctor asked cheerfully.

Luke is puzzled by the Doctors cavalier attitude at being knocked off course.

"Doctor what happened?" Luke pointed out. "Something knocked the Tardis off course."

"Yes, well, it looks like the someone has other plans for us." The Doctor said as he opened the doors and went out. "K-9 keep an eye on the Tardis. We won't be long."

"Are you coming Luke?" The Doctor called back through the doorway.

"Yes, coming Doctor." Luke said as he took the 500 year diary he had been reading and put it back in the trunk that the Doctor had brought out to the console room for him.

The Doctor and Luke looked around the city. Suddenly they heard loud noises coming from about a block away. It was the sound of a boy yelling. The Doctor and Luke looked at each and began running in the direction of the boys screams. They came to a house and stopped. The Doctor cautiously tried the door. Luckily it was unlocked. The Doctor and Luke hurried in.

The young boy is brandishing a long lit candle and waving it at an adult male and an adult female.

"Excuse me." The Doctor said as he cautiously approached the boy. "But should you really be doing that to your parents?"

Instead of answering right away the boy swiped the flame near the males belt. Momentarily he changes into some large insect creature but changed back to a Human appearance once the flame was no longer near his belt.

"Okay, maybe these aren't your parents." The Doctor quickly surmised. "So question is, what do they want with a small Human boy?" The Doctor rounded on them.

They looked at each other and then activated some bracelets on their wrists and teleported themselves away.

"No!" The Doctor yelled at the ceiling. "I wasn't going to hurt you. I just wanted to know,"

"I doubt they can hear you." The young boy said matter-of-factly.

The Doctor noticed the young boy didn't seem too shocked that these aliens just teleported in front on him.

"They've tried this before." The Doctor said. "Haven't they?"

"This is the their third attempt to kidnap me." The young boy said. "I do not know why though. My family is not rich. My father is a salesman and engineer. And they do not have any political influence. By the way, who are you?

"Oh I'm the Doctor and this is Luke." The Doctor said warmly to this young boy. "And what's your name?"

"My friends call me Al." Al replied.

"Well Al, there must be something about you that makes you special." The Doctor remarked. "Are you the only one they've attempted to kidnap?"

"I've not heard of any others." Al replied. "I have been investigating the strange disappearance of a farm outside of town."

This intrigued the Doctor.

"A farm?" The Doctor repeated. "You mean an entire farm? Just vanished?"

"Follow me and I'll show you." Al offered.  
"Very well." The Doctor said. "Lead on.

Al led them outside of town to a small family farm. Or rather where one had been. The entire farm was gone. There was only a big patch of black soil where the farm had once stood.

"Why would any aliens steal an entire German farm?" Luke asked. "If they have this sort of technology, then surely they could build their own farm."

"Good thinking Luke." The Doctor said. "Now how big would you say this area was?" The Doctor asked Luke. "1/5th of a mile x 1/5th of a mile would be how big?"

Luke was distracted by something so he didn't hear the Doctor's question.

"Five acres." Al answered immediately.

"Very good." The Doctor was impressed. "Aren't you a little Einstein?" The Doctor said.

"I'm not that little." Al replied.

Luke caught what Al said immediately but the Doctor was too distracted.

"Luke, you really need to pay more attention when I'm talking to you. I'm already running numerous computations inside my head so I'm going to need to borrow your brain from time to time." The Doctor warned. "So what would they need five acres of farm land and one small boy about, how old are you?"

"I'm ten years old." Al answered.

"Doctor!" Luke said excitedly. "Didn't you hear what Al said?"

"Yes, he said he was ten years old." The Doctor said puzzled. "Look just because I'm over one-thousand years old, that does not mean there is anything wrong with my hearing."

"No, not that." Luke said. "He,"

"Luke we need to focus." The Doctor interrupted. "Why would these advanced aliens come all the way here to steal five acres of land and a ten year old boy,"

"Doctor!" Luke said loudly trying to get his full attention. "I know why they want him! "

"What?" The Doctor said perplexed. "How could you possibly know that? The Doctor demanded to know.

"Because when you said 'Aren't you a little Einstein' he said," Luke began.

"Yes, yes." The Doctor cut him off. "He said 'I'm not that...little." The Doctor finished weakly as it dawned on him who this child was. "Who are you?" He asked even though he already knew the answer by this point.

"Einstein." Al answered. "Albert Einstein."

"I think we just found the answer to one of our questions." The Doctor said.

The Aliens returned and this time they are holding ray guns.

"Now look you." The Doctor said. "Just what do you want with this young man? Harness his genius? Well let me assure you, you're not the first."

"Our business with the boy is none of your concern." The female said. "You're obviously an alien but don't get any ideas about following our ship. We'll be back to our world and time before you can even beam up to your ship."

"Let me guess." The Doctor said blandly. "You travel by creating a time tunnel?"

"How did you know this?" The Male demanded to know. "That technology won't be around for centuries. This alien must be from the future. We should find his craft and disable it."

"There isn't time." The Female shot back. "Whomever you are,"

"Oh yes, sorry." The Doctor said with exaggerated politeness. "I'm the John Smith and this is Luke. And who might you two be?" The Doctor casually asked.

While the Doctor was talking he quietly took out a homing device and quietly passed it to Luke, who in turn discreetly slipped it into Albert's coat pocket.

"My name is Ara." Ara replied. "And this is Corvus."

"You have our word John Smith and Luke." The Corvus said. "No harm will come to young Albert. Now come along Albert. We need to hurry back to our world."

Albert looked to the Doctor and Luke for help. But the Doctor just gave Albert a reassuring shoulder hug.

"It's okay Al." The Doctor said. "Go with them. Luke and I will find you and bring you back." The Doctor then leaned close and whispered. "You're a brilliant young man and if there is anyway we can find out what they want with you..." The Doctor let the last sentence hang.

Albert nodded his assent. The Aliens and Albert teleport up to their ship with Albert.

The minute they're gone, The Doctor and Luke raced for the Tardis. The Doctor quickly calibrates the instruments to home in on the homing device. Five Minutes later The Doctor and Luke land on an alien world.

"Luke check the sensors." The Doctor ordered.

Luke checked the consoles over.

"We've landed on a planet called Kembel." Luke said reading the screen. "It says it's the 75th century."

"Really?" The Doctor said in surprise. "I've heard strange stories about this world. all right. let's see what's out there. K-9," The Doctor broke off as he noted K-9's tail seemed to be drooping. "Look K-9 I know I've been leaving you on the ship a lot, but I need you here as a back-up. You know, like the cavalry."

"Master." Was all K-9 would say.

The Doctor and Luke step out of the Tardis and looked around. The Doctor studied the landscape for a moment.

"Luke does this landscape look at all familiar to you?" The Doctor asked.

Luke looked around and frowned.

"It looks like an old German Farm." Luke said. "Just like the one's I've seen in books, and," Luke broke off suddenly when he realized what the Doctor was hinting at. "You don't mean THIS is the missing farm land, do you?"

"It certainly looks that way." The Doctor said slightly distracted.

"But why would anyone want to steal an old German Farm and transport it here?" Luke asked. "If they were trying to recreate Albert's environment, they did it wrong. He was raised in the city. Not in the country."

"Well, maybe our alien friends can't tell the difference." The Doctor said.

Luke suddenly spotted something by the farm house.

"Doctor!" Luke said excitedly. "It's Albert!"

They ran over to see if Albert was okay.

"Albert, did they hurt you?" The Doctor asked.

"I'm fine." Albert answered puzzled. "They brought me here and then they said they needed to bring another guest for the party."

"Party?" Luke repeated in surprise. "It's not your birthday is it?"

"Nein." Albert answered. "I got the feeling it was some girls birthday."

"We best stay to see who else their bringing to the party." The Doctor said. "But why don't we get you some place safe first? My spaceship is just over there." The Doctor said pointing towards the blue police box.

"That's a spaceship?" Albert asked. "Looks like a big blue coffin."

Luke laughed at this description of the Tardis. The Doctor on the other hand was offended.

"It happens to be one of the most advanced spaceships there are." The Doctor responded indignantly. "The name Tardis stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space, I'll have you know."

"So you're a Time Lord." Came Ara's voice from behind. "We should have known."

"Actually I'm the last of the Time Lords." The Doctor said. "Well sort of." He added remembering his children and the one known only as Clara.

Corvus and Ara had disbelieving looks on their faces.

"So you say Doctor." Corvus replied sarcastically.

The Doctor noted the sarcasm and their disbelieving looks. Did they know something that the Doctor didn't know. But before he could quiz them further on this subject a pretty young fifteen Croatian girl exited their spaceship. The Doctors mouth dropped open in surprise. Luke noted this.

"Doctor." Luke whispered to the Doctor. "Who is this girl? Do you know her or of her?" He asked.

"Unless I miss my guess." The Doctor said softly. "That girl is none other then Mileva Marić. Albert's first wife."

"What?" Luke is shocked. "Why bring her here?"

Before the Doctor can respond a ten year old girl emerges from the Farm House. She is the spitting image of Mileva.

"Is this your sister?" Albert asks Mileva.

"I've never seen that girl before in my life." Mileva replied.

This only further served to confirm what the Doctor suspected was going on.

" Your name wouldn't by chance be, Lieserl?" The Doctor asked of the little girl.

She looked at him puzzled while the Aliens look in both shock and anger at The Doctor and Luke.

"How did you know my name sir?" Lieserl asked The Doctor.

"Doctor how did you know her name?" Luke asked. "Who is she?"

"Not here." The Doctor warned Luke.

"Hello Albert." Lieserl said to Al. "Hello Mileva. Come play with me. Today is my birthday and I have all kinds of food and games all planned. Just like they do on Earth. We can play in the Garden. Come" Lieserl led them away towards the gardens. Albert looked at the Doctor who nodded. So Albert went along with her. Mileva was scared but she also followed Lieserl.

Ara and Corvus pull their ray guns out and aim them at the Doctor and Luke.

"Inside!" Ara ordered. "Both of you."

Inside of the farm house the Doctor made himself at home at the kitchen table. The Doctor noted some dust on a shelf filled with pots and pans.

"All the comforts of home." The Doctor joked. "Though it could do with a bit of a dusting. Any tea?" He asked facetiously.

"So the genius of the Time Lord has figured out who this girl is." Ara said irritably.

"Oh it wasn't too difficult." The Doctor said with a hint of modesty. "Albert and Mileva his first wife. A young girl who is the spitting image of Mileva and yet she has no idea who she is. What else am I to assume but that Lieserl is none other then Albert and Mileva's daughter!" The Doctor said. "That you've kidnapped. But why? For what reason? Create an army of geniuses perhaps? Pretty daft if that's what your planning. No guarantee that they'd all be geniuses."

"What kind of fools do you take us for Doctor?" Corvus asked. "Of course we know that such a scheme would never work."

"Then why?" Luke asked. "Why kidnap their daughter?"

"We did not kidnap the child." Corvus said indignantly. My wife and I are explorers. We were exploring on planet Earth in a place called Novi Sad. While there we happened upon a young mother whose child was dying of scarlet fever. They had no cure. As we spoke with the young mother, we came to understand that she felt she could not keep the child even if the child were to recover. So we offered a deal. We cure the child and she allowed my wife and myself to have the child. She agreed."

"That's blackmail!" The Doctor said angrily.

"You see it as blackmail." Ara said. "We see it as a mutually beneficial deal."

"My wife and I had no children of our own." Corvus said. "And have been refused the option of adopting due to our extensive travels. So we were most happy to have this one. Even if she was a Human."

"What you did was morally reprehensible." The Doctor said. "You could have cured her and left her with mother. Or some other couple on Earth. There were couples who would have taken her in."

"Perhaps it was selfish on our part Doctor." Ara replied. "But if you're looking for any regret, you'll find none. We love her as if she was our own flesh and blood."

"Funny you should mention flesh and blood." The Doctor quipped.

"You're wondering if she knows about our true appearance?" Corvus asked. "The answer to your question is yes. We revealed our true selves to her years ago. She was a little frightened at first but she's come to accept it. And she also understands that while her mother and father loved her dearly, they were unable to care for her."

The Doctors eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Does it surprise you that we should speak so kindly of her biological parents, Doctor?" Ara asked. "Why should we speak disrespectfully? There is no chance of her going back to them now. And it would be nothing short of cruel to tell her, her parents didn't want her or didn't love her." Corvus said.

"You see, Doctor?" Ara asked smugly. "We are a most civilized race."

"A civilized race?!" The Doctor repeated incredulously. "You must be joking."

The Doctor stood up and started pacing back and forth even while Ara and Corvus kept their ray guns pointed at the Doctor and Luke. The Doctor suddenly stopped pacing.

"A civilized race?!" The Doctor repeated. "Let me tell you lot something. A civilized race would never emotionally blackmail a frightened young mother into giving up her child." The Doctor said angrily. "A civilized race would have cured the child and left her with her mother. " The Doctor finished.

Before Ara and Corvus could respond the children came running into the house.

"Mother we played tag and after the party we're going to play hide and seek." Lieserl said excitedly.

"Hide and seek? " Ara repeated. "Whose idea was that?" asked suspiciously.

"Mileva's." Lieserl said. "Why?"

"Never mind darling." Ara responded. "Why don't you show your young guests where they can wash up."

"Okay." Lieserl said as she motioned for Albert and Mileva to follow her.

"Sounds like Mileva is up to something." Corvus said. "Maybe bringing them here wasn't such a good idea."

"They can't escape." Ara reminded him. "At least not for long." She said with a chuckle.

"True." Corvus agreed.

The Doctor looked from Ara to Corvus. Why were they so confident no one could escape?

"How long do you plan on keeping Albert and Mileva here?" Luke asked.

"Just until after the party." Ara replied with exaggerated sweetness. "Then they will be returned unharmed to their proper places and time."

"Whose idea was it to bring Lieserl's parents?" The Doctor asked trying hard to keep his voice calm.

"It was Lieserl's request." Convus replied. "And we always try to honor her requests. She makes so few."

As Corvus was speaking Lieserl was returning with Albert and Mileva.

"Why don't we adjourn to the dining room?" Ara suggested.

The Doctor and Luke started to head for the dining room when Ara stopped them.

"Oh no!" Ara said. "You two are not invited."

Albert upon hearing this suddenly started throwing a fit.

"If the Doctor and Luke aren't invited then I'm not coming!" Albert said defiantly.

"But you must come!" Lieserl said looking as if she was going to cry. "I so want you there."

"No Doctor or Luke!" Albert said adamantly. "Then I'm not going to be there!"

"Mother! Father!" Lieserl yelled. "Let the Doctor and Luke come to my party! Or I'll not go either."

Ara and Convus were furious but realized there was little they could do.

"Very well." Ara agreed. "Doctor, Luke, you may come to Lieserl's party. But let me warn you both, to behave yourselves. I won't allow anything to ruin my daughters birthday."

They ate silently a meal of German Rouladens, German Potato Salad and German Riffle Soup.

As they were eating their dessert, German Apple Cake the Doctor began quizzing Lieserl.

"So how are your parents treating you on this alien world?" The Doctor asked. "What kind of schooling are you receiving? Do you have any friends your age?"

The questions make Lieserl start to cry. Ara and Convus are furious.

"Liebchen please don't cry." Albert consoled his daughter before Ara and Convus say a word.

"Doctor!" Ara said evenly. "We had warned you to behave yourself. These things you ask, are between Lieserl and her family."

"I'm afraid I must agree Doctor." Albert interjected. "This is a matter between her and her family."

Before the Doctor could object Albert himself started asking Lieserl questions.

"So how are they treating you here?" Albert asked Lieserl. "Are they sending you to school or are they teaching you at home?"

The Doctor and Luke looked at each other in astonishment. Albert had figured it out. That Lieserl was his daughter.

"Maybe we should go for a walk Doctor?" Corvus suggested with a hint of malice in his voice. "You too Luke."

The Doctor and Luke knock over table and in the confusion they they took off running from their captors. Luke suddenly realized something. After they ran a ways from the house the Doctor stopped.

"Doctor." Luke said. "What about Al and Mileva? We can't just leave them."

"They dare not harm them." The Doctor reassured Luke. "If anything should happen to either one of them, then Lieserl would never be born."

"Doctor, they're right behind us." Luke said.

The Doctor and Luke kept running for several minutes. They soon reached the edge of the property. They ran towards the wooden fence. But as they tried to climb over it they got a massive shock! They are over thirty- thousand feet in the air! This whole farm is floating in the sky! Ara and Corvus are only a few hundred feet away from the Doctor and Luke. They are trapped.

Ara and Corvus are about to shoot them when Albert suddenly gets their attention. Albert had followed them. And now he is sitting astride the wooden fence.

"Leave The Doctor and Luke alone or I will jump!" Albert threatened.

"Albert no!" The Doctor jumped down from the fence and moved cautiously towards him. "Don't move. This farm is over five miles above the planets surface."

"Albert come down now!" Convus commanded.

"Not until you let us all go!" Albert said. "We don't want to be here. You have no right to have brought any of us here. Not me, not Mileva and most certainly not my daughter."

"We won't let her go but we also will not allow you to hurt yourself." Ara said as she pulled out a large box and activated a tractor beam.

Luke meanwhile had been quietly talking into his communicator.

The tractor beam extracted Albert off the fence and set him safely on the ground.

"Now back to the house." Ara commanded. "All of you. We'll figure out what to do with you two while we return Albert and Mileva back to their proper time and place."

"So how long has this farm been here?" The Doctor asked casually.

"What are you getting at Doctor?" Ara demanded.

"Oh nothing." The Doctor answered with feigned innocence. "But I couldn't help noticing the accumulation of dirt on some of the less used shelves and that the house looked well lived in."

"You mean this house has been here for many years?" Luke asked.

"Oh most definitely. I'd say about ten years." The Doctor

"You mean they raised Lieserl here on this sky farm land?" Luke asked incredulously. "Why?"

"Why indeed?" The Doctor shot back. "Too dangerous for her on the surface perhaps. Hostile inhabitants who might do her harm?"

"Very clever Doctor." Convus responded. "Yes, you might as well know the truth. Some of our people are less then civilized. They like to do experiments on aliens and others simply like to," Convus couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

"Eat her?" The Doctor finished for him.

"If those aliens down on the surface ever found out she was here," Luke began.

"They might come looking for her." The Doctor said. "Can you protect her from your entire race? Or yourselves?"

"Not all of our people are savages Doctor." Ara replied quickly. "Some of us have forsaken eating aliens hundreds of years ago. We find that practice distasteful. We could never harm Lieserl. Never! As I said before, we love her as if she were our own flesh and blood. And nothing will ever change that."

But as they headed back to the house they are met by K-9 standing in the middle of the path. Convus raised his gun at K-9 but K-9 zapped him and then zapped Ara. They both fell to the ground. The Doctor grabbed Alberts arm and ran to the house followed by Luke. When they reached the house Luke rushed in and brought Mileva out.

"Okay to my spaceship and back to Earth, 1889." The Doctor said.

The Doctor led them towards his Tardis. Luke suddenly remembered something.

"Doctor shouldn't we bring Lieserl." Luke asked worriedly.

"No Luke." The Doctor said somberly. "She won't come to any harm. And besides, I have a plan." The Doctor said as he rushed inside of the Tardis.

"We can't all fit in there." Albert protested.

"Trust me Al." Luke said. "We will all fit and one day you'll understand how."

Luke ushered Albert and Mileva inside. They looked around the Tardis console room in astonishment.

"So you really are an alien Doctor." Albert said matter-of-factly.

"That's okay Al." The Doctor said. "Okay next stop is Croatia for our friend Mileva." The Doctor noticed she wasn't saying anything. In fact she hadn't said much of anything the entire time. "Mileva, I know this is all a bit much to digest all at once but trust me. A bright intelligent woman such as yourself will soon adjust to this experience."

"Doctor was that girl my daughter?" Mileva asked.

"I believe she was." The Doctor said cautiously. "Why?"

"How did she come to be on their world?" Mileva wanted to know.

"That's not something I can go into right now." The Doctor answered. "But this much I can tell you." The Doctor said as he approached her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "I am going to do all I can to stop it." The Doctor vowed.

The Tardis materialized in Croatia, 1889. Mileva exited as The Doctor, Luke and Albert waved good-bye.

"Don't worry." Luke called to her. "If anyone can put this right, the Doctor can."

"I hope so." Mileva called back.

Then she turned and ran off towards her home. The Doctor, Luke and Albert hurried back inside the Tardis. The Tardis began dematerializing.

The Doctor set the coordinates for the short hop to Munich Germany. When they arrive The Doctor, Luke and Albert exited the Tardis. As they walked Albert back to his parents house The Doctor had a question he just has to ask.

"Albert, I just have to know." The Doctor said as he stopped suddenly. "How did you figure out that Lieserl was your daughter? Was it because she looked so much like Mileva? What deductive reasoning led you to the conclusion that she was your daughter?"

"Actually, I overheard you and Luke talking." Albert said matter-of-factly. "You two are not quiet when you talk. I heard you say, Doctor, that Mileva was my future wife. And when Lieserl came out and looked so much like her and Mileva had no idea who she was, well it was just a matter of putting two and two together.

Luke couldn't help chuckling quietly over this. This irritated the Doctor.

"Never mind Luke." The Doctor snapped. "Albert, what I said to Mileva, I meant. I can change this. But it might not be the happy ending you're looking for."

"I understand Doctor." Albert assured him. "Perhaps we'll meet again?" he asked.

"Maybe." The Doctor said. "You never can tell."

The Doctor and Luke entered the Tardis and the Doctor started setting some coordinates.

"What are we going to do Doctor?" Luke asked. "History does say she disappeared. So Albert and Mileva do not get to raise her."

"I know." The Doctor said somberly. "But there has to be a better ending then her ending up on some alien world with no contact whatsoever with her fellow Human Beings."

In Novi Sad Mileva now twenty-eight sat inside of a hospital waiting for word about her sick baby girl. Ara and Convus approached her.

"Hello Mileva." Ara said with the charm of a snake. "We've heard your infant daughter Lieserl is sick. Scarlett fever isn't it?"

"Yes." Mileva said jumping up and moving away from them. "And you can't have her. She my baby!"

"You know us?" Ara demanded. "How do you know us and why we have come here?"

"Because you will or would have kidnapped her in the future to meet the daughter you saved and then demanded she handed over." The Doctor said as he came into the waiting area.

The Doctor was dressed like a German medical Doctor.

"But since I have already cured her of the Scarlet Fever there is no need for your aid." The Doctor informed them.

"You dare interfere with our plans." Convus demanded.

"Yes, it was your plans all along to kidnap this particular baby, wasn't it?" The Doctor demanded angrily. "You just happened to be traveling through the town of Novi Sad? Really? A bit far-fetched to say the least." The Doctor mocked them. "No, you wanted this very child. A child who will disappear mysteriously. Whose fate is uncertain. And of course a child of a famous scientist like Albert Einstein would of course make the history books."

"You will pay for this Doctor." Ara promised. "One way or another, we will make you pay."

Ara and Convus angrily activated their teleport bands and left.

"So what now Doctor?" Mileva asked her voice trembling. "What happens to my baby girl?"

"I'm sorry but the history books are adamant that neither you nor Albert raises this daughter. She just disappears." The Doctor said gently. "But, the good news is, one of the rumors was that she was adopted by,"

Even as the Doctor spoke Luke was bringing in a woman into the waiting area.

"Your good friend Helene Savić." The Doctor concluded as he saw her approach. "I'm afraid there are no other choices available."

Mileva lowered her head for a moment as she digested all that had happened.

"I knew this day would come and I have dreaded every second of it." To Helene Savić. "Take good care of my daughter Helene. Treat her as if she were your own flesh and blood."

"You have my word." Helene promised. "She will be loved and well cared for."

The two women embrace and start crying. As they do the Doctor and Luke discreetly leave.

"You know I can't help feeling a little sorry for Ara and Convus, though." Luke commented. "They really did love her."

"Yes I realize that." The Doctor said sadly. "But this is a happier ending for the child.

"Doctor I just realized something." Luke said suddenly. "You're still wearing that surgeons outfit."

"Yes, and?" The Doctor demanded.

"Aren't you going to give it back?" Luke asked.

"Where do you think I get most of my clothes from?" The Doctor asked cheerfully. "I find them."

"You steal them." Luke teased.

"Good Luke." The Twelfths Doctor voice echoed inside of Luke's head. "But the time is rapidly approaching. Be strong Luke. Or all will be lost."

"Borrowed." The Doctor shot back. "I just happen to take longer then most to return what I borrow." The Doctor said as he unlocked the Tardis.

Luke followed the Doctor inside and soon the Tardis dematerialized.


End file.
